Washington, United States. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Russia denied sharing intelligence with Iran about U.S. military assets in the Middle East. He said the denial was conveyed during calls on Monday and reiterated in a separate conversation.
Denial relayed after Trump-Putin call
Witkoff said in a CNBC interview on Tuesday that the denial came during a phone call U.S. President Donald Trump had with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
When asked if Washington thought Russia had shared with Tehran intelligence about the locations of U.S. military assets, Witkoff said, “Yesterday on the call with the president, the Russians said that they have not been sharing.”
Washington Post report and further contacts
The Washington Post reported on Friday that Russia was providing Iran with targeting information, including locations of U.S. warships and aircraft in the Middle East.
Witkoff said, “We can take them at their word. But they did say that.” He added that Jared Kushner and he independently spoke with Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov on Monday morning, and Ushakov reiterated the same denial.
Uncertainty remains
Witkoff said assessing the matter was “a better question for the intel people,” adding, “let’s hope that they’re not sharing.”
What do you think U.S. officials should do to verify whether Russia is sharing intelligence with Iran?
